This invention generally relates to a method for utilizing a knowledge-based system and more particularly, to a method which selectively alters the knowledge within the system based upon an evaluation of the output of the system.
Knowledge based expert and/or engineering systems are used to provide answers to technical or engineering problems and/or to perform tasks which are inputted into the systems. For example and without limitation, knowledge-based systems are used in the design, evaluation and development of products such as automotive vehicles, systems and components. Particularly, knowledge-based systems include various xe2x80x9cknowledgexe2x80x9d and data which has been acquired from a variety of sources, individuals and/or experts having a respectively high degree of knowledge in solving, answering and performing the types of problems, questions or tasks posed to the system. The knowledge and data is typically manifested in various rules, principles and guidelines which may include both xe2x80x9copinionxe2x80x9d type rules and parameters, and other more irrefutable or xe2x80x9cprovenxe2x80x9d type expert rules and parameters.
While these types of knowledge-based expert systems allow engineering type problems and/or questions to be solved and/or answered in a relatively short period of time and with relatively accurate results, they do not always provide the best solution or answer to the problem or question posed to the system. For example and without limitation, since some of the knowledge, rules and/or guidelines within these systems are not xe2x80x9cprovenxe2x80x9d or applicable to all of the problems or tasks posed to the system, they do not necessarily provide the best solution to a problem or performance of a task. As a result, users of these systems must often repeat the xe2x80x9cproblem-solvingxe2x80x9d or design process in order to ensure that the best solution or performance of a specific problem or task is provided, thereby decreasing the efficiency of the engineering and/or problem-solving process.
There is therefore a need to provide a method for utilizing a knowledge-based system which overcomes at least some of the various and previously delineated limitations of prior systems and methods, and which alters the body of knowledge held within the system based upon an evaluation of the output of the system.
It is a first object of the invention to provide a method for utilizing a knowledge-based system which overcomes at least some of the previously delineated limitations of prior knowledge-based systems.
It is a second object of the invention to provide a method for utilizing a knowledge-based system which alters the body of knowledge within the system based upon an evaluation of the output of the system.
It is a third object of the invention to provide a method for utilizing a knowledge-based system which improves the ability of the system to accurately solve problems inputted into the system.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for utilizing an knowledge-based system having a body of knowledge. The method includes the steps of: inputting a task into the knowledge-based system, effective to cause the knowledge-based system to perform the task and provide an output; evaluating the output of the knowledge-based system to determine how well the knowledge-based system performed the task; and altering the body of knowledge based upon the evaluation, thereby improving the performance of the knowledge-based system.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for improving the performance of a knowledge-based system which provides a solution to a problem inputted into the system by use of a database of knowledge held within the system. The method includes the steps of: inputting a problem into the system, thereby causing the system to provide an output; evaluating the output of the system; determining whether portions of the database of knowledge were incorrect based upon the evaluation; and selectively removing the portions which were incorrect from the database of knowledge, thereby improving the performance of the knowledge-based system.
These and other objects, aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following specification and the attached drawings.